After upsetting another top ACC foe, Pitt shoots back into NCAA Tournament conversation

Jeff Capel expressed complete confidence in his team’s ability to shoot the basketball after Tuesday’s 74-63 upset win at No. 21 Virginia.

In the process, Pitt has shot back into the NCAA Tournament discussion.

Winners of four straight conference games, the Panthers (16-8, 7-6 ACC) have climbed into a tie for fifth in the ACC and are closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble.

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Pitt drained 14 shots from behind the 3-point arc Tuesday, so it’s easy to see Capel’s conviction.

Blake Hinson’s confidence is evident and warranted, given his range essentially begins when he crosses half court.

Freshman guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe have shown no signs of hesitation to put up shots in crunch time.

Sophomore 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham has seen his high-arching perimeter shots are nearly undefendable.

And junior guard Ishmael Leggett has shown his ability to score in a variety of ways, keeping defenses on their toes with his outside shooting.

All of that confidence came together as the Panthers shot 43.8% from 3-point range en route to snapping Virginia’s 23-game home winning streak, the longest such run in the nation.

“Certainly it helps when you make shots,” Capel told reporters in Charlottesville after the victory. “I think we’ve done a good job all year of generating good looks. We’re just starting to make some now.”

Pitt’s perimeter shooting has been a major reason for the team’s turnaround after a 1-5 start in ACC play.

“We’re learning to love the fight,” Capel said. “Earlier in conference play, we have several guys that play a lot of minutes for us that had never gone through the gauntlet of the ACC. We played hard, but we didn’t understand how to fight.

“Things weren’t going well for us. They are learning moments for us. It was difficult. But the thing I love about my team is they continue to show up every day. They had great attitudes. They listened, they wanted to learn, and we just gradually have chipped away and gotten better.”

Tuesday’s shooting display was a team effort, though Hinson led the way. The senior knocked down 5 of 13 shots from behind the arc and totaled 27 points.

It was the fifth time this season he had five or more 3-pointers, and he moved into ninth in program history with 179 career 3-point field goals. He also climbed into seventh for single-season 3s (82 of 199, 41.2%).

“I thought he played a great floor game,” Capel said of Hinson, who ranked seventh in the nation in 3-point field goals prior to Tuesday’s games. “He was putting it on the floor, getting to spots, running people over, making little floaters.”

Leggett (13 points), Lowe (12 points), Carrington (nine points) and Diaz Graham (eight points) knocked down two 3-pointers each, and Zack Austin hit one off the bench, as Pitt hit its highest percentage from behind the arc this season.

The only members of the eight-player rotation who didn’t attempt a 3-point shot were center Federiko Federiko and William Jeffress, who played 3 minutes, 6 seconds.

Pitt leads the ACC in 3-point field goals per game at 9.3 and will try to ride that strategy in upcoming games against Louisville (8-17, 3-11) on Saturday at Petersen Events Center and at Wake Forest (16-8, 8-5) on Tuesday. Future contests remain against Virginia Tech (Feb. 24), at Clemson (Feb. 27), at Boston College (March 2) and at home against Florida State (March 5) and N.C. State (March 9), before the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.

The Panthers’ chances of joining the NCAA Tournament field may depend on if Hinson and Co. can remain steady beyond the perimeter.

“It’s a lot of season left. It’s a lot,” Capel said. “I think we played really well (Tuesday). We’re playing well. We’re 1-0 right now. … Thursday we’ll start getting ready for Louisville. And, hopefully after Saturday, we can be 1-0.”